Monastery of St. Naum
Built on a high rocky cliff over the shore of the most southern point of Ohrid Lake is one of the most beautiful monasteries in Macedonia, which also represents one of the first monuments of Slavic church architecture and art in the Ohrid region – this is the Monastery of St. Naum. The founder of the monastery is the medieval writer and teacher Naum, who is one of the founders of the Slavic and Macedonian literacy and education tradition. The view around the monastery will make you feel that in this area the heavenly beauty really came down to the earth.
The Church of the Holy Archangels is the central part of the monastery complex. Its foundation has the shape of a clover. Here St. Naum was buried, and for centuries this place attracted worshippers from various religions, who paid respect to the relics of the Saint whose remains laid in a separate chapel on the south side of the church.
The church was fully destroyed between the 10th and 13th centuries, and today’s church was built on the original foundations in the 16th century. It has been built up and extended in several phases, and the last significant restoration was made at the end of the 18th century. The icon of the Holy Assumption of St. Naum stands with its beauty and significance, which is the oldest representation of this theme.
The monastery church is known for its characteristic wood carving, which dates from the seventeenth and early part of the eighteenth centuries. When you come to Macedonia, do not miss the chance to visit the tomb of St. Naum, and to lay your head sideways on his grave. If you wait and focus, you can hear a deep rumble, which any believer will tell you is the saint’s heartbeat.